Flock applying device



y 2, 1953 F. M CURTAIN FLOCK APPLYING DEVICE Filed Dec. 27, 1960 United States This invention relates generally to apparatus for producing a pile surface on adhesive-coated portions of a foundation material, and more particularly to an apparatus in which pile forming flock is fed to the adhesivecoated foundation material in an electrostatic field to form an erect pile thereon.

Apparatus has been proposed heretofore for producing a pile surface on foundation materials by supplying flock thereto in an electrostatic field, but such apparatus has been complicated and expensive, particularly in the mechanism provided for feeding the fibers of the flock into the field. Such apparatus has further failed to produce a desired high intensity field adjacent the electrode from which the flock is fed, cooperating with a lower intensity field at the electrode on the remote side of the foundation material on which the pile surface is to be produced.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved device for supplying flock to a foundation material in an electrostatic field.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a simple and inexpensive device for producing a pile surface on a foundation material by feeding flock thereto in an electrostatic field.

A further object of this invention is the provision of an improved device for applying a pile surface to a foundation material by feeding flock thereto in an electrostatic field, in which the flock is caused to flow through an insulating screen by the action of the electrostatic field and in which the fiow is controlled by the initiation and termination of the field.

Yet another object of this invention is the provision of an improved device for flocking a foundation material to produce a pile surface on adhesively coated portions thereof, in which a high intensity field is provided by a limited area electrode disposed adjacent to the flock, which is fed toward a large area electrode with a relatively low field intensity.

These and other objects and features of this invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of a presently preferred embodiment and the appended drawing thereof in which:

FIGURE 1 isa perspective view of a flock applying device according to the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view on line 22 of FIGURE 1 and showing a simple schematic diagram of the electrical circuit for applying the electrostatic field.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged detail view showing the lower electrode plate and the pile-surfaced material thereon.

In producing pile surfaces on foundation material the fibers used for the flock may be of rayon, nylon, acetates or other synthetic material, or natural fibers, such as cotton. The foundation material is coated with an adhesive on the surface area on which the pile is to be produced, any desired pile outline being secured by the appropriate application of the adhesive coating, such as to produce lettering or artistic figures. Many adhesive compositions may be used including air drying cements, thermosetting and thermoplastic resins, rubber latex, epoxy resins, and others. The fibers of the flock are ground to relatively short lengths in accordance with the depth of pile desired and are preferably of the order of approximately 0.03".

In the presently preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing, the flock applying device is in- "atent dicated generally at 11 and includes a top table or platform 12 supported on corner legs 13. The central portion of the table 12 is provided with a rectangular opening 14 therethrough in which is supported a rectangular frame 15. The table 12, legs 13 and frame 15 may be formed of any desired material, conveniently wood. Mounted interiorly of the frame 15 and depending therefrom is a rectangular frame 16 of an insulating material such as phenolic resin. The frame 16 is of substantial depth, and intermediate the top and bottom edges thereof is mounted an inwardly directed, shelf-like frame 17 upon which is supported an insulating screen 18. The screen 18 extends horizontally across the frame 16 and divides it into an upper portion 19 and a lower portion 21. The screen 18 may be woven from strands of any of the well known synthetic insulating materials and is preferably of the order of 1820 mesh.

Supporting posts 22 extend upwardly from the upper surfaces of the side members of the frame 17 and support insulating strips 23 of phenolic resin or similar material at the opposite sides of the frame 16. Upon the strips 23 are mounted a plurality of posts 24, offset longitudinally of the table 12 to support a wire electrode 25 thereon in zig-zag formation in a horizontal plane, spaced above and parallel to the screen 18. The wire 25 carries an inappreciable amount of current and may be formed of iron for structural strength. One end of the wire 25 is connected to a terminal 26 of a socket 27 which receives a plug 28 connected to a circuit conductor 29.

The upper portion 19 of the frame 16 serves as a hopper for the reception of the fibers of the flock above the screen 18, with the electrode formed by the wire 25 in contact with the flock or disposed immediately thereabove.

The lower portion 21 of the frame 16 serves as a depending skirt below the screen 18, to assist the action of the electrostatic field in guiding the flock toward the foundation material and to restrict the flow of flock to the working area.

A supporting shelf 31 is mounted between the legs :13 in horizontal position spaced below the table or platform 12. Inset in the top surface of the shelf 31 is a metal plate 32 connected to a circuit conductor '33 and forming the bottom electrode for the device. Upon the electrode plate 32 is shown the foundation material 34 which is flocked to produce the pile 35 thereon.

A simple schematic diagram of an electrical circuit 36 for energizing the electrodes 25 and 32 to establish an electrostatic field therebetween is shown in FIGURE 2. The circuit conductor 33, connected to the electrode plate 32, has a grounding connection at 37. The circuit conductors 29 and 33 are connected to the secondary winding 38 of a high leakage reactance transformer 39, designed to limit the current which can be drawn therefrom. A control switch 41 is shown in the energizing circuit for the primary winding 42 of the transformer 39. A diode rectifier 43 is shown in the circuit to conductor 29 and is preferably a single wave rectifier so that a fluctuating or pulsating undirectional potential will be applied to the electrode 25 to facilitate the proper feeding of the fibers of the flock through the screen 18. The potential difference applied to the electrodes preferably has a peak value of the order of 40,000 volts.

In-the operation of the device, the hopper provided by the upper portion 19 of the frame 16 is filled with a desired flock in loose condition which is held therein by the screen 18. This flock will be in contact with or im-- mediately beneath the zig-zag wire electrode 25. The foundation material which is to be flocked is provided with an adhesive coating in the outline which it is desired to have the pile take, for example, lettering, artistic figures, or other designs, and the material is placed upon the electrode plate 32. Thereafter the switch 41 is 3 closed to apply a potential difference across the electrodes 25 and 32 which produces a higher intensity field about the legs of the wire electrode 25 than at the relatively large area plate 32.

The electrostatic field or potential gradient between the electrodes 25 and 32 orients the fibers of the flock so that their longitudinal axes are substantially parallel to the potential gradient and feeds them through the screen 18 onto the adhesive on the material 34, still in upstanding position to form the desired pile' The feeding of the flock fibers through the screen 18 is believed to be facilitated by the fluctuations or pulsations in the unidirectional potential applied to the electrodes and this feeding of the flock fibers occurs only while the electrodes are energized to establish the electrostatic old.

The switch 41 is opened to de-energize the electrodes when a suflicient quantity of flock has been deposited on the material 34 and this terminates the feeding of the flock through the screen 18. Any excess fibers on non-adhesive coated surfaces of the material 34 will readily separate therefrom and the material may be given any treatment necessary to set the particular adhesive used to bond the fibers of the pile to the surface of the material. From the nature of this adhesive this may be simple air drying, heating or cooling, or a vulcanizing process.

It will be seen from the above description that this invention provides a simple and inexpensive device for flocking a foundation material to produce a pile surface thereon, which not only provides an effective operation with a minimum of pants but controls the feeding of the flock through a normally retaining screen by means of the electrostatic field which orients the fibers in pile producing relation to the material surface. The upper wire electrode 25 produces a high intensity field thereabout because of its small surface area which facilitates the feeding of the fibers of the flock to the foundation material on the relatively large area electrode plate, which has a correspondingly reduced intensity field thereat.

While a certain preferred embodiment of the invention has been specifically illustrated and described it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto as many variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art and the invention is to be given its broadest intenpretation within the scope of the following claims:

I claim:

1. A flock applying device comprising: an elongated upper electrode having a small cross-sectional perimeter compared to its length and disposed in a substantially horizontal plane; an insulating screen disposed in a substantially horizontal plane spaced below said electrode plane and receiving loose flock thereon; a lower electrode disposed in a substantially horizontal plane spaced below the plane of said screen in a position to accommodate material to be flocked thereabove; and means for applying a fluctuating unidirectional potential across said electrodes to feed the flock through the screen to the surface of the material in pile producing relation.

2. A flock applying device comprising: an upper electrode formed from a wire having generally transverse legs disposed in a substantially horizontal plane; an insulating screen disposed in a substantially horizontal plane spaced below said electrode plane and receiving loose flock thereon; a substantially horizontal electrode plate disposed beneath said screen in a position to accommodate a material to be flocked thereabove; and means for applying a fluctuating unidirectional potential gradient across said electrodes to feed the flock through the screen to the surface of the material in pile producing relation.

3. A flock applying device comprising: an upper electrode formed from a wire disposed in substantially zig-zag formation in a substantially horizontal plane; an insulating screen disposed in a substantially horizontal plane spaced below said electrode plane and receiving loose flock thereon; a substantially horizontal electrode plate disposed beneath said screen in a position to accommodate a material to be flocked thereabove; and means for applying a pulsating unidirectional potential across said electrodes to feed the flock through the screen to the surface of the material in pile producing relation.

4. A flock applying device comprising: a support; a circumferentially closed insulating frame of substantial depth and open at the top and bottom mounted on said support; an insulating screen mounted transversely of said frame; a conducting electrode mounted in the upper portion of said frame above and spaced from said screen and below the top edge of the frame, the portion of said frame above said screen constituting a hopper for the reception of loose flock; a conducting electrode mounted beneath said frame in a position to accommodate a material to be flocked thereabove; and means for applying a pulsating unidirectional potential across said electrodes whereby to drive said flock through the insulating screen into pile producing contact with the material to be flocked.

5. A flock applying device comprising: a support; a circumferentially closed insulating frame of substantial depth and open at the top and bottom mounted on said support; an insulating screen mounted transversely of said frame in a substantially horizontal plane; an elongated wire electrode mounted transversely of said frame in a substantially horizontal plane spaced above the plane of said screen and below the top edge of the frame, the portion of said frame above said screen and about said electrode constituting a hopper for the reception of loose flock; a conducting electrode plate mounted beneath said frame in a position to accommodate a material to be flocked thereabove; and means for applying a pulsating unidirectional potential across said electrode.

6. A flock applying device comprising: a support; a circumferentially closed insulating frame of substantial depth and open at the top and bottom mounted on said support; an insulating screen mounted transversely of said frame and intermediate the top and bottom edges thereof; a conducting electrode mounted in the upper portion of said frame above and spaced from said screen and below the top edge of the frame, the portion of said frame above said screen constituting a hopper for the reception of loose flock; and a conducting electrode mounted beneath said frame in a position to accommodate a material to be flocked thereabove, the lower portion of said frame beneath said screen defining 21 depending shirt for guiding the flock in its passage from the screen to the material on which it is to be deposited; and means for applying a pulsating unidirectional potential across said electrodes.

7. A flock applying device comprising: a support; a circumferentially closed insulating frame of substantial depth and open at the top and bottom mounted on said support; an insulating screen mounted transversely of said frame in a substantially horizontal plane; an elongated wire electrode mounted transversely of said frame in a substantially horizontal plane parallel to and spaced above the plane of said screen and below the top edge of the frame, the portion of said frame above said screen and about the electrode constituting a hopper for the reception of loose flock; a conducting electrode plate mounted beneath said frame in a position to accommodate a material to be flocked thereabove; and means for applying a pulsating unidirectional potential across said electrodes to facilitate the feeding of the flock through the screen and its application to the material as an upstanding pile.

8. A flock applying device comprising: a support; a circumferentially closed insulating frame of substantial depth and open at the top and bottom mounted on said support; an insulating screen mounted transversely of said frame in a substantially horizontal plane; a conducting electrode mounted in the upper portion of said frame in a substantially horizontal plane spaced above the plane of said screen, said electrode comprising a wire stretching back and forth across the frame in a substantially zig-zag formation, the portion of said frame above said screen constituting a hopper for the reception of loose flock; a conducting electrode plate mounted beneath said frame in a position to accommodate a material to be flockedthereabove; and means for applying a pulsating unidirectional potential across said electrodes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Wintermute Sept. 12, 1939 Hill Oct. 8, 1940 Smyser Aug. 17, 1948 Hirschberger Aug. 9, 1955 

1. A FLOCK APPLYING DEVICE COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED UPPER ELECTRODE HAVING A SMALL CROSS-SECTIONAL PERIMETER COMPARED TO ITS LENGTH AND DISPOSED IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PLANE; AN INSULATING SCREEN DISPOSED IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PLANE SPACED BELOW SAID ELECTRODE PLANE AND RECEIVING LOOSE FLOCK THEREON; A LOWER ELECTRODE DISPOSED IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PLANE SPACED BELOW THE PLANE OF SAID SCREEN IN A POSITION TO ACCOMMODATE MATERIAL TO BE FLOCKED THEREABOVE; AND MEANS FOR APPLYING A FLUCTUATING UNIDIRECTIONAL POTENTIAL ACROSS SAID ELECTRODES TO FEED THE FLOCK THROUGH THE SCREEN TO THE SURFACE OF THE MATERIAL IN PILE PRODUCING RELATION. 